Dutch startups step onto the global stage at 4YFN 2026
“If you want to test your market readiness and quickly explore collaborations to scale your product, 4YFN is the place to be.”
With those words, Muhammet Bilgic, Founder of EduvolutionX, captured the experience of many founders at this year’s edition of 4YFN (Four Years From Now) in Barcelona.
For the fourth year in a row, sixteen Dutch startups travelled to Barcelona to take part in the startup event of Mobile World Congress, as part of the Dutch delegation organised by InnovationQuarter together with its many partners. Their goal was clear: meet international customers, investors and partners, and take the next step in their growth.
They did so on one of the world’s biggest stages for technology and entrepreneurship. This year, Mobile World Congress welcomed nearly 105,000 attendees from 207 countries and territories, while 4YFN brought together more than 1,000 startups, hundreds of investors and global tech leaders.
From the moment the doors opened, the Dutch pavilion quickly filled with meetings, introductions and new business opportunities.
Turning conversations into opportunities
The Dutch pavilion quickly became a lively meeting point where founders connected with investors, partners and potential customers from around the world.
The official opening of the pavilion was attended by representatives from the Dutch innovation community, including Roel Nieuwenkamp, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Spain, Angela van Diejen from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Frits Grotenhuis from Digital
Holland and Tanja Hulst from the Province of Zuid-Holland. Angela van Diejen shared:
“I am really impressed by the creativity and the energy I am seeing. The Netherlands is very competitive on the global stage, and that is because of the innovation we see here.”
Tanja Hulst added:
“4YFN is the place to be for startups. It’s the springboard to accelerate their ambitions.”
Taking the stage
One of the highlights was the pitching session Dutch Disruptors Live on Stage, where seven Dutch startups presented their solutions to a room filled with investors, corporates and ecosystem partners. The session was organised by Future Network Services and InnovationQuarter and hosted by Lotte
Engels from the Netherlands Business Support Office Barcelona (NBSO) together with Lars Crama, Director of InnovationQuarter.
For many founders, pitching on stage provided direct exposure to investors and potential partners, often leading to follow-up meetings after the session.
Teun van den Biggelaar, CTO of ANTENNEX, who has now attended 4YFN for the third time, highlighted the value of the pitching stage.
“My highlight was the pitch that I gave during ‘Dutch Disruptors Live on Stage’, where I got to pitch in front of 200 to 300 people, among them a lot of investors.”
Meeting the right partners
Beyond the stage, several initiatives helped founders connect with organisations that could support their next phase of growth.
During the MWC Open Innovation Challenge, startups met corporates presenting concrete innovation challenges. These sessions gave founders the opportunity to explore potential collaborations and pilot projects with larger companies.
The Pay it Forward Networking Breakfast, organised together with the Netherlands Business Support Office Barcelona (NBSO), encouraged founders to approach conversations differently: not by asking what they could gain, but how they could support others in the room. This approach often led to more open conversations and unexpected introductions.
From conversations to collaborations
Another valuable moment was the FNS-IQ dinner, organised by Future Network Services and InnovationQuarter, where founders shared their “critical ask”: the key challenge they are currently facing while growing their companies.
Around the table, founders discussed topics ranging from market entry strategies to partnerships and product development. These conversations provided direct feedback, new perspectives and introductions that could help startups move forward beyond the event.
Real results for founders
Many of those meetings quickly translated into concrete opportunities. As Roland Blok, CTO at Aircision, explained:
“We arrived here on Monday morning at 9:00 am, and right away a Mexican company came to us that wanted to talk about our technology and look for ways to work together. So it started immediately.”
For other founders, the event opened doors to entirely new markets. Volkan Kaya, Founder of WeVerify, shared:
“We acquired several very interesting contacts, also from Africa. Normally we would have never thought of this market but the opportunity was enabled here.”
The openness of the ecosystem and the willingness of people to connect was another highlight. Sheyda Tayefehhashemi, co-founder of Rise Lense, said:
“My biggest highlight has been the people, the openness, the curiosity and the willingness to connect and exchange ideas. It has been really inspiring.”
For some startups, the event also created opportunities in regions they had long hoped to explore. Niels Vissers, Frontend developer and Project leader at Yookr, explained:
“I had a conversation with someone who did a project with South America in grapes and the wine industry. They want to have insights in their entire logistics, and that’s exactly what we offer. South America has always been a market in which we want to expand. It’s a huge opportunity for us to follow
up on that.”
Dutch startups at 4YFN 2026
The Dutch delegation consisted of sixteen startups working on a wide range of technologies and solutions:
Aircision
ANTENNEX
EduvolutionX
Everox
GoDocly
Husense
Logichainge
PhoneCam
QSA Technology
RadioSense
Rise Lense
SourceGeek
WeVerify
Yookr
Zander Labs
Zirrow
Together they showcased the diversity and ambition of the Dutch startup community.
A joint effort
The success of the Dutch delegation at 4YFN is the result of a strong collaboration between many partners who support Dutch startups in their international ambitions.
InnovationQuarter would like to thank all partners who helped make this mission possible: Digitalzh, Enterprise Europe Network, Netherlands Business Support Office Barcelona (NBSO), Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), Gemeente Den Haag, Provincie Zuid-Holland, LIOF, Digital Holland, Future
Network Services, Innovally, BTG – Branchevereniging voor IT en communicatietechnologie, and Oost NL.
A special thanks goes to Marit Kuypers-van Meurs, Project Manager International Trade, who once again played a key role in organising the delegation and bringing the Dutch startups together in Barcelona.
Is your startup ready to take the stage?
InnovationQuarter and its partners will return to Barcelona for 4YFN 2027. Get in touch with Marit if you want to take your international ambitions to the next level.
